Flow Limitation

[elaine10]

Hi is this an ideal Flow Limitation Graph??? Mine has always looked something like this. AHI most of the ime is below 1.5.

[jimbud]

Hi is this an ideal Flow Limitation Graph??? Mine has always looked something like this. AHI most of the ime is below 1.5.

Ideal? No.

Hard to say much about it.
There is no context with the rest of your chart.

JPB

[Pugsy]

Here's an example of what I see most of the time for a flow limitation graph. Pretty much non existent FLs.

zeroleak.JPG

[jimbud]

Hard to say much about it.
There is no context with the rest of your chart.

What I meant by that is:

Are they causing pressure to go up.
Pressure going up can cause leaks.
Leaks can cause you to wake up.
Wake ups usually mean not so good sleep.
Not so good sleep usually mean feeling crappy.

Context.

JPB

Low AHi means little if you are not sleeping well.

[Miss Emerita]

I wonder whether you could update us on what happened after this thread:

http://cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t176972/S ... nshot.html

It’d also be helpful to see a recent screenshot. And could you let us know how are you feeling during the night and during the day?

[palerider]

Hi is this an ideal Flow Limitation Graph??? Mine has always looked something like this. AHI most of the ime is below 1.5.

No, it would cause the pressure to go up.

[elaine10]

Hi, these are my graphs last night. Am sorry am so quite new to this. If am not mistaken, Flow Limitation could refer to any occurence that could limit the flow of pressure/air. So the goal is, if am correct, to keep leaks low, keep AHI low, keep flow limitation low. I have dental braces also, so am not sure but maybe it also contributes to higher flow limitation? Thanks.

[palerider]

Hi, these are my graphs last night. Am sorry am so quite new to this. If am not mistaken, Flow Limitation could refer to any occurence that could limit the flow of pressure/air.

You're mistaken.

I have dental braces also, so am not sure but maybe it also contributes to higher flow limitation? Thanks.

Not unless you're trying to breathe through your teeth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c




Min15 on pressure would probably be better for the time being.

[elaine10]

Pelerider thank you! Will do just that. Hope the flow limitation improves. Everything in the graphs and stats seem ok right except for the flow limitation? Thanks

[Miss Emerita]

After you try the new setting for a few days, try posting another chart so the experts can see how things are going. Oh, and see if you can turn off the pie chart before you take the screenshot.

From another site: “Inspiratory Flow Limitation (IFL) is an increasing resistance in inspiratory flow that slows the volume and flow of air as the inhale proceeds. It is visualized in a flow rate graph as a flattened or downward sloping wave-form rather than a smooth peak.”

If you zoom in on the flow rate graph in an area with flow limitations, you will probably see that the shapes above the zero line are not nice smooth curves but are flat, or have a pointy peak, or have a dent or two in them. One reason this could be a negative is that you are having to work harder to draw breaths. Over the course of a night, this can tire you out.

It really would also be helpful to know how you’re feeling, both during the night and throughout the day. Could you say a little about that?

[zonker]

Pelerider thank you! Will do just that. Hope the flow limitation improves. Everything in the graphs and stats seem ok right except for the flow limitation? Thanks

if i may humbly make a suggestion?

once you've gathered a fresh set of data, please post it here in this thread. it will better help the experts keep track of you and your situation.

thanks and good luck!

[palerider]

Pelerider thank you! Will do just that. Hope the flow limitation improves. Everything in the graphs and stats seem ok right except for the flow limitation? Thanks

A lot of people would say "it's fine" (the graphs and stats), but I look at the pressure line, and I see a lot of pressure jumps, each time the pressure jumps up, it's because something, snores, flow limitations, hypos, obstructive apneas, is disturbing your breathing, and that causes pressure to go up... all those times when pressure goes up indicate *something* is disturbing your breathing, and hence your sleep.

I like to see a smoother pressure line, indicating fewer breathing disturbances.

[elaine10]

Miss Emerita, I increased the min pressure to 14 last night while max stays at 20. This morning is the most energetic that I have ever felt--no headaches, just that feeling of happiness for no reason.

This is my graph for tonight. Will try minimum pressure of 15 as suggested by palerider. Have noticed that pressure goes up where there is Flow Limitation. Thanks guys!

Capture.JPG (165.41 KiB) Viewed 12384 times

[Dog Slobber]

Pelerider thank you! Will do just that. Hope the flow limitation improves. Everything in the graphs and stats seem ok right except for the flow limitation? Thanks

A lot of people would say "it's fine" (the graphs and stats), but I look at the pressure line, and I see a lot of pressure jumps, each time the pressure jumps up, it's because something, snores, flow limitations, hypos, obstructive apneas, is disturbing your breathing, and that causes pressure to go up... all those times when pressure goes up indicate *something* is disturbing your breathing, and hence your sleep.

I like to see a smoother pressure line, indicating fewer breathing disturbances.

It was precisely this advice from palerider that I followed when I was optimizing my therapy. Some observations as I was increasing my minimum:

• Initially my pressure line had a lot of volatile up and down movement
• As I was gradually increasing my minimum, the machine did not need to go as high as it used to.
• The activity on my Flow Limitation reduced dramatically.

I've included two of my charts for comparison. Last nights (top one) and one from about a year ago about when I started to optimize my therapy.
Note:

• The reduced Flow Limitation activity
• The lower AHI
• And most importantly how the machine does not need to use higher pressure. My minimum is 11.2 and there are just two blips where it increases pressure, and never into the twelves. Contrast that to when I had a minimum of 9. My device spent half the night alive 12 and would gone last 13 but I had the maximum capped.

For me (and I'm guessing many others), increasing the minimum, reduces the the need for higher pressures.

Increase_min.png

[palerider]

Why pressure goes up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c